LEMONT, Ill. 
One of the slogans for the FedEx Cup is that "every shot counts," which proved meaningful even as Tiger Woods was well on his way to another blowout victory in the BMW Championship.

The outcome was never in doubt.

Woods took out a month of frustration on a Cog Hill course that had been refurbished with hopes of landing a U.S. Open. He broke the course record with a 62 in the third round to build a seven-shot lead, and he closed with a 3-under 68 to win by eight shots over Jim Furyk and Marc Leishman. Even the world's No. 1 player was surprised to learn it was his 10th victory on the PGA Tour by at least eight shots.

"You need to get hot on a tough track," Woods said.

Most compelling on Sunday was that even as Woods was cruising toward his sixth victory of the year to assure himself the No. 1 seed in the final tournament for the FedEx Cup, the pressure on the rest of the field became even greater.

The BMW Championship was the final playoff event to crack the top 30 in the standings and qualify for the Tour Championship in two week at East Lake in Atlanta, where the winner picks up a $10 million bonus.

A dozen players were sweating over every shot, and it showed.

– Leishman, who advanced to Cog Hill with an eagle on his final hole a week earlier at TPC Boston, played bogey-free for a 69 and went from No. 67 to No. 16.

– Ian Poulter, who was No. 30 going into the week, dunked his approach into the water on the final hole and made bogey. He finished out of the top 30 by less than half a point, the smallest margin in the three-year history of the series.

– John Senden, realizing he was in range, hit a wedge from 90 yards that came up 40 yards short of the green. It was a shot rarely seen at Cog Hill even by the public customers who pay $140 for the privilege.

– Senden still managed to get the 30th and final spot because Brandt Snedeker, knowing he needed only two putts from 12 feet to make bogey and qualify for the East Lake bonanza, took four putts instead. The last two didn't matter, and they were a product of being in shock over seeing his 3-foot bogey putt crash into the lip and spin out.

"I can't believe I did this," Snedeker said. "I just made a mess of it."

There were other swift changes, too, such as British Open champion Stewart Cink playing a four-hole stretch in 5 under to make sure he got into the top 30, and Jerry Kelly making a 10-foot birdie putt on his last hole to lock down a spot.

Furyk, the co-winner of the B-Flight at the BMW Championship, rarely had a runner-up mean so much. His 66 allowed him to jump 15 spots to No. 3.